Rachael's next job was managing Mister Brown's Pub at a famous local hotel, the Sagamore. She then got a position at the most upscale food and equipment shop in Albany, New York, Cowan & Lobel. She became a buyer and a cook, and was soon preparing hundreds of pounds of food per day. While at the shop, she met a lot of people who were reluctant to cook for themselves but were interested in learning how. Inspired by their interest, she started a class specifically designed to teach people how to get dinner ready in only half an hour.
The concept caught on, and Rachael began teaching it at a chain of local grocery stores. That led to a spot on WRGB, a television station in Schenectady. By 1998, she had made a deal with an independent publisher to write a companion cookbook.
Her biggest opportunity came in 2001. While doing a radio interview, Rachael was heard by an executive at the Food Network, who immediately let others at the network know that they should look into possibly hiring her for the network. Around the same time, she was booked on the Today show when one of the producers there ran across her cookbook. She drove nine hours south during a snowstorm to make the appearance, which went very well. The day after her shot on Today, she signed her first contract at the Food Network for $360,000.
Since then, Ray has gone on to build an empire. She hosted 30 Minute Meals and $40 A Day on the Food Network. Several of her catchphrases from these shows have caught on in the public lexicon, including ''yum-o,'' ''so delish,'' and ''oh my gravy.'' Her shorthand term for extra virgin olive oil, ''EVOO,'' has been added to the Oxford American College Dictionary. She also hosted Inside Dish, a short-lived series where she interviewed celebrities while cooking with them. Tasty Travels took the budget out of the $40 A Day concept, focusing instead on her favorite places to eat at various destinations. She has continued to publish cookbooks, and currently has almost 4.5 million books in print and holds a $6 million book contract with one of Random House's imprints.
In 2005, Ray signed an agreement with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions to host a daytime talk show called Rachael Ray. It premiered on September 18, 2006. She also did an episode of Iron Chef America in 2006, pairing up with Mario Batali. They ended up beating rivals Bobby Flay and Giada di Laurentiis.
Ray now has a new food and lifestyle magazine on the stands called Every Day with Rachael Ray. It can be found at nearly every grocery store checkout in the country. She has lines of knives, cookware, and appliances with her name on them. She is now also endorsing a variety of products, from Nabisco to Dunkin' Donuts and Burger King. She is even getting her own brand of extra virgin olive oil for store shelves called — you guessed it — EVOO. Her newest endeavor is a Rachael Ray dog food called Nutrish. It just hit the shelves recently, with plans to add a cat food in the next year. The dog food is based on the food she makes for her own dog.
While Ray has her detractors, who criticize her shortcuts, her meal preparation times, and her cutesy phrases, she has a lot more fans who continue to watch her shows and buy her cookbooks. Ray says her detractors are right in some respects. "I have no formal anything," she says. "I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had."
This has not stopped her rising star one bit, though. Her mission from the beginning has been to help people cook who are tired from a long day at work and don't have a lot of money to spend on gourmet ingredients. Her "best friend" persona has caught the attention of the public, making her popular wherever she goes. Her book signings draw thousands of fans who are eager to share stories with her.
Ray's success can be attributed to her attitude towards work. She is almost always working on something. She works when she travels; she works when she's sick. She hardly takes any downtime at all. Rachael also seeks her own opportunities, and creating these opportunities has led her to the top of her own empire. Balancing at the top is challenging, of course, but Ray just keeps working hard.
